Clarifying Clarification

Please allow me to take a moment to clarify my last clarification.

My last blog was an attempt to say, "Please don't think that I am a staunch advocate of my own views." I also have great respect for the insights and views of other Christians and Christian leaders. There are people who are reading my blogs, specifically "Amnesty Box" and are thinking that I am an advocate of a strict militant style of leadership for every ministry of The Salvation Army.

Amnesty Box is something that I truly believe in and it has its place as a prophetic voice. However, there is much more to my views than the two dimensions of my writing that may paint me as some kind of voice for Salvationists who believe in strict militant leadership.

I believe there is a place for those who need to be led strongly.

I also believe that God speaks through patience and tenderness of which some leaders in The Army must present to be effective for some people.

For instance, the poorest of the poor are also among some of the most verbally and physically abused. Do we really want to go into their neighborhoods barking out orders? Personally, I think they could use a little tenderness.

So, again, thank you everyone for your encouragement and support of my philosophies and teaching. And another thank you for your Christ-like patience with those whose views you may disagree with, including my own.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Keeping It In Context

Well, just in case you happen to come across Stephen Court's blog, "Amnesty Box vs. The Salvationist Mind for the 21st Century" on ARMYBARMY and see that one of my articles has become a source of inspiration, know this:

Context means everything.

I'm not sure how people will take my words when I write them, but those who know me best know that I am constantly learning and developing.

I believe The Salvation Army needs to stand and not be so flaky when it comes to serving the world. There is way too much compromise in the ranks and in our purpose. It’s very difficult to move forward when you don’t know which direction is forward.

I want it to be clear that The Salvation Army is the vehicle of which I choose to serve Christ and I am always looking for the most effective way to serve Him for the Kingdom.

Church growth and personal recognition are not any less divisive than rigidity and irrelevance in Christian expression and ministry.

I don’t know that a dogmatic stance, which moves us to see the opinions of others as an opportunity to judge them as if they have no other dimensions, is justifiable Christian behavior.

We must constantly understand that sometimes God is represented by the prophet who stands on the side of God with a warning of judgment to the people; sometimes He is represented by the priest who stands on the side of the people pleading to God for mercy; still sometimes He is represented by the king who makes a decision based on God's will.

In all of these roles, God is often represented by a human being in the form of a Christian leader. God's leaders are sent to represent the role God calls that leader to be for each individual or congregation.

As Doctor Rick Lints, Professor of Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary so adequately stated, “There are some who are standing and need to fall on their knees and pray for mercy, while there are others who are kneeling who need to stand up and trust that God has given it to them.” God's representatives are often used to help His flock know whether they are to stand or kneel when their pride or self-pity blind them to the direct message from God.

Every message or philosophy deserves to be heard for what it is--an attempt at finding and revealing the truth. I believe that no matter how wrong one person sees the views of another, we must always remember that those who are brave enough to voice their views and are within biblical parameters of doing so, are also those who care enough to speak.

Let’s not discourage vocal expression, as each expresser is a child of God who seeks to find and share Christ with deep conviction and sincerity.

Thank you to everyone who encourages me and stands beside me as a REVOLUTIONARY and wants what is best for The Salvation Army and, most importantly, The Kindgom of God.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Why?

There is a time in every person's life when we just have to ask, "WHY?" Why are we? Why do we? Why have we? Why did we? Why will we?

I was walking around a Supercuts today, which used to be a bank. The old drive thru tellers are still there, but I could tell they were from the 80's.

Ella walked around the old machine where people would drive up and put their money or whatever in a big plastic tube, which was then sucked up into a vacuum. For her, it meant nothing.

For me, it was a mark, a step, a yesterday. Sometimes I get really tired of yesterdays and all I want to do is see right now. Life seems to be nothing but memory making moments. I can’t quite get to the next minute and then suddenly I’m past it.

Sometimes I just want to scream out, “STOP! Let me look at you for a moment." I want a chance to stare life in the face. I want to stare at it just like staring closely at a leaf and noticing all its specks and lines. When do we get to just take some time to look at life and enjoy the beauty of it?

"Why?" may be the wrong question. Maybe there is no question.
Who knows? Hey! Maybe "Who Knows?" is the question.

Forever wondering,
Johnny

The Gainey Sweat Shop

Ella has called an attorney and is demanding better working conditions.

Small Group Agenda Info and Birth of a new group update

For the next 23 weeks, we will not be posting the Small Group Agendas.

Reason:

We will be using the Rob Bell NOOMA videos and using a basic format for accompishing the Welcome, Word, Worship, and Witness based on the Videos and the book that accompanies the video.

However, I would like to share that a New Small Group/Interest Group has begun at DHQ during the lunch hour in the break room. The group met today and there were 8 in attendance. One of those eight was with us via Skype. Thanks for being there in voice Kristy.

The Interest Group meets to discuss the Velvet Elvis book written by Rob Bell. It was great. I had a wonderful time as I'm sure we all did.

Have a great day everyone.

Forever learning,
Johnny

How was your day?

Today was a beautiful day.

The skies were blue.

My children are healthy.

My marriage is happy.

I have a headache.

My dog is aggravating.

My grandparents are dead.

My Dad has a liver disease.

Today was a beautiful day.

The coffee was wonderful. (Tim Hortons from Jeff. Thanks Jeff.)

I've put on three pounds in two weeks.

I'm losing my hair.

I love being a Salvation Army Officer.

Some people are mean.

Some people give me energy.

My wife is so pretty.

Today was a beautiful day.

Good and not so good, God is always good.

Today was a beautiful day.

How was your day?

No Dogs Allowed!

Is it just me or is there an immense amount of spiritual gluttony among Christians.

Tonight I was privy to a wonderful conversation with friends at my dining room table and in that conversation some wonderful points were brought before us.

The conversation caused me to think more about this situation of spiritual gluttony.

The root of the problem appears to be grounded in selfishness. There appears to be a sense that Christianity is a calling to go to church, rather than be the church. Over and over I hear this phrase, “We need to be fed!” There is no more a sickening phrase on the planet. But, that’s just my opinion. If it’s not yours, please allow me to be loved by you anyway.

Jesus calls us to feed sheep. It appears that everybody thinks they are all sheep. My question is, “If everyone is a sheep, who does the feeding?” I don’t think God intended for one or two to be shepherds and the rest of the millions of Christians on earth to be "Get-fed-only" sheep. Again, this is my opinion. Please continue to love me.

Eternal sheep have a habit of taking up so much time and energy from the shepherds that shepherds never have time to look for lost sheep.

I think we need to be intellectually fed by the Word of God and spiritually fed by the Spirit of God and physically fed by the servants of God, but then it’s time to do some feeding ourselves.

No sheep eats all day, every day, with no concern for becoming a shepherd.
That is what shepherds do. Shepherds train sheep to be shepherds. Not all shepherds are shepherds of a lot of sheep. Some shepherds merely feed their family and maybe a friend. Some shepherds don’t have the capacity to feed, but they help those who do.

Wouldn’t a sheep that only eats be a glutton of a lamb?

I like sheep and I don’t think they’re as stupid as most preachers try to portray them to be. I believe that any animal that can convince its master that it only exists to eat and is never responsible to feed is pretty darn smart.

In fact, I think these sheep are not sheep at all…they are dogs. They show up, eat, sleep, get a few pats on the head and wait for the next feeding.

Let’s all be sheep that become shepherds and shepherds who don’t allow dogs to pose as sheep.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Cell Group Agenda for the week of Febuary 5, 2006

Welcome
Have everyone come in, place their food or drinks on the table, get something to snack on and join each other in a comfortable room to talk.

Give everyone an opportunity to tell when he or she feels the most safe.

Tip: Some may try to spiritualize this question and give obvious answers, such as all the time, because God is with me. Ask them to be more specific and speak of a specific place or when they’re with a specific person.

After everyone has a chance to share, talk with Jesus and tell Him how grateful we are for safety in our lives.

Word
Play the Rob Bell’s Nooma DVD #001 “Rain.”

After the DVD is played have your group break up into small groups of three or four. Give each person a list of the questions from Rob Bell's study guide, which accompanies the DVD.

In each breakout group ask the questions from the book that accompanies the DVD starting on page 2 and ending (this week) on page 8:

After everyone gets a chance to answer the question on page 8, have the people in your breakout group take turns reading the list of Scriptures found on page 10 of Bell’s Nooma DVD book.

[I do not feel that it would be an ethically correct decision to list the questions from Rob Bell’s book. These videos are incredible and well worth you purchasing for your group.
I purchased the DVDs, which came with the study book, for $12.99 per DVD at Family Christian Book Store.]

After reading the verses of Scripture, have everyone join together in one room for worship.

Tip: When individual breakout groups are finished have them go into the room where everyone will be together for worship. Don’t wait for everyone to be done. This will help everyone to respect each other’s time and keep from giving too much time for those who are finished to engage in unrelated topics.

Worship
Play a CD of peaceful, worship conducive music with no words.
While the music plays take a few minutes to sit in silence and have each person picture a moment in his or her mind that he or she wishes could have been avoided.

After 5 minutes have the group pray that God will show them how He was able to draw closer to them because of that scary time. Then ask God to give them the wisdom to see how God was using the moment to get closer to him or her.
Witness
Your act of taking your experience of being with Jesus tonight will be to share your excitement for what you’re learning with someone who is not a part of your group. Then invite them to come next week, when we will watch the same video again and go through the Scriptures and questions in the remainder of Rob Bell’s study guide.

Retro-New and Different

Every morning I drive for about an hour and fifteen minutes before I finally arrive at my destination of the office. And during that time I chat with Jesus about life. Sometimes we talk about family, tragedies, fun stuff, sad stuff. Sometimes I just try to listen to Him speak.

This morning He spoke through the silence and taught me something wonderful. I have been working so hard on affecting change in the part of God’s Kingdom that He has called me to and this morning I realized something wonderful.

Change is not about something new and different. Change is about retro-new and different.

As I pondered on the frustration of how to get people to see that change is necessary for effective Christian ministry, I realized that the threat is usually a fear that we will be leaving the place where God has put us. But I learned that change is really about bringing us back to the right place.

Change is the equivalent of the ref blowing his whistle during a football game when the ball has gone out of bounds. Change in ministry is the equivalent of the ref blowing the whistle because the whole team has begun to play out of bounds.

There are times, moments, decades, eras, when ministry has gone so far out of bounds that God calls a leader to blow the whistle and get people back on the playing field.

That is when leaders have to listen to God, share that vision, and inspire the team to get back on the field. The tough part is getting the players to see that they have moved away from where God wants the team to be. These are the moments when the players actually believe they are still on the field and everyone else has gone home because they don't care about the game or the team anymore.

However there is a strange and wonderful difference between football fields and ministry fields. With football the field never moves. With ministry, if we don't keep our eyes open, the field will slip right out from under us and some will never even notice it's gone.

One day the team looks up and asks, “Where is everybody? Don’t they care about the game?" The fact is God has moved the field to a whole new place where the spectators have new faces, wear different clothes, speak a different language, and may not even sit in the bleachers.

Change is what a leader does when he says to the team, It’s time to get back on the field. There is an entire world of people who need to see and be a part of the game, but they can't see us play anymore, because we have completely left the field or the field has left us."

Change is about getting the team back on the field.

Ministry Is Not Messy!

How do I balance Johnny the person with Captain Gainey the Corps Officer/Pastor?

I am learning more and more that being a leader of God's flock is synonymous with self-ostracizing. The lessons I’ve learned after three and a half years of pastoring have taught me why so many church leaders end up bitter and alone, questioning their calling, and pampering a low self-image.

I don’t agree that ministry is messy. That may sound catchy, but the truth of the matter is that Satan’s intervention in ministry is messy, not ministry. Ministry is an extension of the love of Jesus Christ. How can that be anything but beautiful?

In Marshall Shelley’s book, ‘WELL-INTENTIONED Dragons’, Shelley says, “A pastor’s authority requires two ingredients: God’s appointment and call, and the body’s respect for his leadership. Losing either side of the equation spells an end to effective ministry.” pgs115-116

Shelly also says, “Every pastor walks that delicate line between steering and being steered by the congregation. As they weigh the criticisms, most ministers occasionally wonder, Am I being followed or chased?” pg. 115

This is a serious dilemma in the church, because too often God’s flock forgets the role of the shepherd, which is to lead. Too many sheep believe that they are supposed to train the shepherd to listen to sheep, rather than assist the shepherd in listening to God.

I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Down the Track

As I continue to study leadership, especially Christian leadership, I never run out of helpful insights. In my recent studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I studied under the teaching of Professors Wayne Goodwin and Rod Cooper.

I want to share an insight that is incredibly helpful to all of us as Christians and Christian leaders.

As Dr. Wayne Goodwin so adequately explained, there are many different characteristics of a Christian Leader. Some of these characteristics are intrinsic and others are externally expressed. The four characteristics that we focused on were Calling, Character, Competency, and Community.

Dr. Goodwin pointed out that most Christians and Christian leaders approach the development of these characteristics much like laying a train track. Each of the tracks run parallel and if you look far enough down the road they appear to join or touch. The truth of the matter is that they never join. If you run down the track, you will see that they remain parallel forever.

The thing that should bring them together is spiritual development. But too often we believe that as long as we work on each of the external tracks, they will eventually come together and make us authentic, mature Christians and/or Christian leaders.

In truth, we should be focused mostly on our spiritual development, and out of that spiritual development we will be better prepared to have healthier character, competencies, and community.

I will leave you with this thought from Dr. Rod Cooper:
“Leaders either cast shadows or light. The heart of the leader determines the heart of the organization.”

Forever Learning,
Johnny

Cell Group Agenda for week of January 29, 2006

Small Group Agenda for Week of January 29, 2006
Scripture 1 John 4:10-11
“Love One Another”


”This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11

Welcome
Have everyone get something to snack on and drink and bring it to a room where everyone can get comfortable and join each other.
Once everyone is comfortable, have them share how they felt when they received the letter from another member of the group telling them how the writer sees him or her as representing a child of God.

After everyone has a chance to respond, pray a prayer welcoming Christ into our presence and asking Him to make us receptive to His Word as we prepare ourselves to experience Him through the Scriptures.


Word
Have someone read 1 John 4:10-11.
”This is love: not that we loved God, but hat he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

After reading Scripture, have everyone break up into groups of 3 or 4. Give a copy of the following questions to one person in each group and have them ask a couple of questions, then pass the questions to someone else in the group. Try to give everyone an opportunity to ask a couple of the questions in the breakout groups.


1. Are we supposed to love one another?
2. Does God love us?
3. Based on this Scripture, considering it is written in the context of a letter, why do you think John finds it important to remind people in the first century that they are to love one another?
4. How are we supposed to love one another? (After everyone has a chance to answer this question, have someone read 1 John 3:18 and give everyone a chance to answer the question again.)
5. How important should loving with actions and with the love of Christ be for those of us who call ourselves Christians?

Tell the following story:
In his book Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, Richard Foster tells of an old sage who asked his disciples, “How can we know when the darkness is leaving and the dawn is coming?” “When we can see a tree in the distance and know that it is an elm and not a juniper,” one student responded. “When we can see an animal and know it is a fox and not a wolf,” replied another.

“No,” said the teacher.

Puzzled, the students asked for the answer. The sage replied quietly, “We know the darkness is leaving and the dawn is coming when we can see another person and know that it is our brother or sister; otherwise no matter what time it is, it’s still dark.”

Do we take seriously John’s words, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren?” (1 John 3:14).

Our Daily Bread, June/July/August 1998, June 17
Haddon W. Robinson


6. When does it become most difficult to love one another?
7. Is there anyone here who is finding it hard to be seen as a Christian because of an misunderstanding or an unwillingness to love other?

If anyone answers this question by saying that he or she is having a difficult time loving others, have everyone surround that person and pray that the Spirit of Christ will fall upon them in such a way as to give them a willingness to care for others with actions.

After prayer, join the others for collective worship.


Worship
Worship will be experienced by sharing with Christ and one another the ways God is calling each of you specifically to love others with actions and with the same love that Christ has for him or her.
After each person speaks have someone lead everyone in a song that expresses gratefulness for Christ’s model of love.
Finally, pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the love of Christ that is present with each of His children.

Witness
Briefly discuss ways that we can use actions to share the love of Christ with each other and others. Decide on which expression of love we will share as a group before the next gathering.

A Worship Family

This week was a great one. I spent 40 hours under the teaching of two great professors. The class was Christian Leadership.

After much discussion about church leadership, one of my fellow students was commenting on his appreciation for the structure of The Salvation Army. He noted, after 3 or 4 presentations of Salvation Army officers who did interviews with various Salvation Army leaders, that his church was missing something very vital.

He said that he is a part of a new and thriving church that is reaching out to a new population of normal people (non-Christians). The worship in his church is very contemporary and exciting. He also said that he enjoys working in this church.

The one thing he misses and is envious of, in regards to The Salvation Army, is the valuable asset that we have in our heroes of the faith. He spoke of a longing for a church with a history, which had people who had been around for decades to share their stories and their wealth of experiences and insight for ministry.

What immediately came to my mind was the picture of a Christmas feast. I very much miss being home for Christmas. It’s not the presents, the tree, the food, or even the traditions that I miss most. For me, it’s the family that I miss.

I miss grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces all being together in the house, enjoying each other, no matter who we are or what we bring. It is the family that I miss more than the festivities. I especially miss the great stories that my grandparents would tell while we would drink coffee after dinner.

For me, this is a picture of worship that should never be lost; a picture of people of all ages coming together with all that they bring of themselves. I appreciate the young and the old, the fast and the slow, the traditional and the contemporary.

Worship should always be with family—the whole family, with everyone enjoying the company of one another. I am grateful for our heroes of the faith. I am thankful to God for those who have worked hard to set the stage and bring their rich heritage, experiences, and passions to share with those who are in great need of a sense of history.

I give thanks to God for placing that student in my class to give me a reminder of what it means to share my faith with those who have lived it for nearly an entire lifetime.

It has been wisely stated that you can’t head into the future without knowing where you are right now. I would add to that by stating that you can’t know where you are right now without knowing where you’ve come from.

Praise God for the elders of the church. You are loved, appreciated, and greatly respected.

Forever Learning,
Johnny

Cell Agenda for week of January 22, 2006

Cell Agenda for Week of January 22, 2006
“God’s Kids”
1 John 3:1-3

Welcome
Ask about the prayer lists and how they have used them. Ask if they have been helpful and if anyone called anyone on their list just to say hi.

Word
Have someone read 1 John 3:1-3, then read the following story.
A group of teen-agers were enjoying a party, and someone suggested that they go to a certain restaurant for a good time.
“I’d rather you took me home,” Jan said to her date. “My parents don’t approve of that place.”
“Afraid your father will hurt you?” one of the girls asked sarcastically.
“No,” Jan replied, “I’m not afraid my father will hurt me. I’m afraid I will hurt him.”
–Warren W. Wiersbe

After reading this Scripture and the illustration, divide into groups of four and have one person of each group take a copy of the questions and ask them of the group.

Ask the following questions
1. Are those people John is writing to, as well as those this letter would speak to today, children of God or are they only like His Children?
2. Does God mind us calling ourselves His sons and daughters?
3. Do you think that John saw people who were struggling to call themselves children of God, even though they were? Why?
4. How do believers find themselves wondering whether or not they are children of God?
5. Give your best description or definition of a child of God.
6. Share a time when you felt least like a child of God.
7. Is there anyone here who feels unworthy to be a child of God today?

After this question join the other groups for worship.

Worship
Use this worship time to have each person give a reason why they feel they are glad to be one of God’s children.
Then pray and thank God for allowing us all to be his children.


Witness
Have each person put their own name on a small piece of paper and fold it into a small square. Place all the folded papers in a basket. Then pass the basket around and have each person take out a name, making sure it’s not his or her own name.

On Sunday afternoon after worship, each person will go home and write a letter to the person of whose name they received. On the letter write no more than one page of why this person should have confidence in calling his or her self a Child of God.

Commissioned to teach Church Etiquette?

Today I received an amazing phone call. You may recall the book 'Radical Outreach.' You can find it in any Christian bookstore. The book is about reaching people the way they can be reached today and the author's name is Dr. George Hunter III.

Dr. Hunter is Distinguished Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore Kentucky. He is also the author of 'Church for the Unchurched' and 'The Celtic Way of Evangelism.'

I called him a week ago to discuss my concerns over the challenge of transitioning the traditional into missional. Dr. Hunter called me back today and left me with these wise words:

"Many Christians are now the modern day Judaizers who insist that those who are not Christians are the Gentiles who need to be circumcised before they enter the church."

Dr. Hunter's words were in reference to those who hold on to the status quo, enjoying their church lives, and unwilling to change in order to reach the lost. Instead many Christians require the lost to accept the culture of their particular denomination, class, and/or social behavior before they can be a part of the family of God.

It's time to put away the scalpels.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Jesus was no Pacifist!

A while back I posted a blog that answered the question, "Would Jesus have gone to Vietnam?" This is some further insight on that subject.

Pacifism and Jesus? Maybe, if he was a 21st century liberal American. But Jesus was, in fact, a first Century Jew.

In the Jewish Talmud, which Jesus would have read, trusted, and taught from, are these words, "If someone comes to kill you, anticipate him and kill him first" (Sanhedrin 72a). To kill in self-defense was perfectly permissible in Jewish belief. And please take the time to ponder for a moment that Jesus was not a Christian; He was a Jew.

In fact Christians were a legitimate sect of the Jews, not unlike the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, et cetera, until 380 A.D. or C.E., whichever you choose. It was then that the church father, John Chrysostom was appointed Bishop of Antioch.

According to Stephen M. Wylen, when Chrysostom came to the city, he was shocked to find his flock regularly attending the synagogue, enjoying the sermons there and socializing with Jews. The Christians treated rabbis as holy men, going to them for amulets, blessings and cures. John Chrysostom responded with his ten famous sermons Adversus Judaeus, “Against the Jews.”

He condemned the Jews in the strongest terms as servants of the Devil. He forbade social and economic contact of any kind with Jews; much less a sharing of religious ideas and practices…these sermons became the basis for church policy. Judaism was utterly condemned as debased, even satanic religion. Contact with Jews was restricted. Attendance at Jewish rites was prohibited. Christians were prohibited by law from “Judiaizing”—that is, from observing Jewish rites, laws and customs. Christians were prohibited from keeping kosher, celebrating Jewish holidays, or visiting synagogues.

The Ebeonites, or Jewish Christians, had become increasingly marginalized. Now they disappeared altogether. To become a Christian was to reject Jewish identity and become a Gentile, with no exceptions. –The Jews in the Time of Jesus, pgs. 195-196

To truly understand Jesus and how he would respond to laws against killing, you must understand first century Jews and their beliefs and teachings, as well as have some understanding of the original languages. You also have to understand what Jewish culture and social life was like for a follower of Jesus. Jesus told his followers to buy swords in Luke 22:35-37. We also know that some of them carried weapons (Luke 22:8; 22:50).

For those who believe that Jesus was a Pacifist, the misunderstanding comes from a mistranslation of the Semitic languages and Biblical Greek into English. The word used in Matthew 5:21 which says, “You shall not kill” is better translated, “You shall not murder.” There is a big difference, even in modern English.

Killing and murder are polarized by the intent. As David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, Jr. point out in their revised edition of their book, Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus New Insights From a Hebraic Perspective, “It’s difficult to explain how English translators made this mistake since the Greek language also has separate words for ‘murder’ and ‘kill,’ and it is the Greek word for ‘murder’ (not ‘kill’) which is used in Matthew 5:21.”

There are also other passages of Scripture where the English translations lend themselves to lead readers astray. If you want to know more, buy the books that you see quoted in this blog. But be careful, some modern Christians live by the motto, "The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it." These books just may unsettle it.

I hope this has shaken your faith just enough to get you thinking and studying for yourself.

For those of you high and mighty, know-it-all Chirstians, there is a saying, “Once a Christian becomes a Bishop, he never again eats a bad meal, reads a good book, or hears the truth.” (source unknown, at least to me.)

I'm not in the mood to be diplomatic tonight. But my name is still Johnny and I'm still your friend.

Forever learning
Johnny

Cell Group Agenda for Week of January 15, 2006

Cell Group Agenda for the week of January 15, 2006
Theme: “How do I know I belong to Christ?”
Scripture: 1 John 2:3-11

Welcome

1. Give everyone present a piece of paper. Have them write down on the paper:
a. The names of people they have a hard time getting along with
b. The names of people they avoid
c. The names of people who would bring out feelings of anger if he or she were to see them.
2. Allow people to verbally express the feelings they experience when they look at the names on their list. Don’t allow the people in the group to speak the names, this would be gossip. Only allow for them to tell how they feel when they think of the people listed.

Should anyone appear to need prayer at this moment, take the time to pray for him or her to give them comfort, but don’t allow this to become a therapy session.

Word

Read this story:
Dolly Madison, the wife of the fourth president of the United States, was one of the most popular women in American history. Wherever she went, she charmed everyone—the rich, the poor; the famous, the obscure; men, women—everyone she met. She was once assked to explain the secret of her power over others. The question took her by surprise. She said, “Power over people? I have none, I desire none. I merely love everyone.” –Source from Word and Worship Resoures for Salvationists, First Quarter 2006, pg. 17

Have someone Read 1 John 2:3-11
Ask the following questions:
1. Is there a way to know that you can be sure that you belong to Christ?
2. Do you believe that those who call themselves Christians, yet disobey the word of God are lying about being Christians, even if they aren’t aware that they are lying?
3. Is it easy to obey God’s command to love others?
4. What are some reasons that the people John is writing to would hate someone?
5. What are some reasons people hate others today?

After this question, break up into groups of three and ask:

6. Is there anyone here who is struggling with not being able to obey God’s command to love others because of unforgiveness, racism, or because of a judgemnt against sertain sinners, such as those struggling with homosexuality?

7. Ask if there is anyone in the group that would like to be able to begin caring about the people he or she wrote on their paper during the welcome of this gathering.
8. Have the person who says he or she would like to lose their ill feelings toward those on their list to pray sit on a chair and have the others come around that person and pray.

Get back together in a large group for Worship.

Worship

To begin worship sing have the worship leader lead a song of God’s mercy and love for sinners.

After singing, have everyone step out onto the back porch, bring the papers with their list of names.
Have a metal coffee can, garbage can, or chargoal grill available. Tell everyone who is willing to begin obeying God’s will by loving others, including those on their list to place their paper in the can or grill.
Then have everyone light a match and throw their match on the papers, signifying that they will begin to pray for those people, forgive them, and even begin loving them.

After this, pray for each other to continue to obey God’s command by praying daily for those whose names, once listed as people they didn’t care for, will now join the names of those whom they love.

Witness

Before you share the idea for witnessing this week, share this story from Warren W. Wiersbe, pgs 60, 61:

A man who was walking down a dark street one night saw a pinpoint of light coming toward him in a faltering way. He thought perhaps the person carrying the light was ill or drunk; but as he drew nearer he could see a man with a flashlight carrying a white cane.

“Why would a blind man be carrying a light? the man wondered, and then he decided to ask.

The blind man smiled. “I carry my light, not so I can see, but so that others can see me. I cannot help being blind,” he said, “but I can help being a stumbling block.”

After reading this story tell the group to make a commitment to call or write someone on the list they burned and just take the time to say hello and let that person know that you were thinking about him or her.
Next week you will be asked to share your experience in the group.

Cell Group Agenda for week of Jan 8, 2006

Cell Group Agenda for the week of January 8, 2006
Theme: “Working on your Relationship.”
Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10

Welcome
1. Have everyone get something to drink and something to snack on before you begin. Then bring everyone to sit down on the floor in a circle and ask the following questions:
2. Who in here has ever gotten something that you really wanted, only to lose interest in it in a very short period of time? What was it?

Word
Read the following passage from Graham Scroggie:

“Too many Christians live on the right side of Easter, but on the wrong side of Pentecost; the right side of pardon, but the wrong side of power; the right side of forgiveness, but the wrong side of fellowship. They are out of Egypt, but have not reached the land of promise and blessing. They are still wandering about in the wilderness of frustration and dissatisfaction.”



Have someone Read 1 John 1:1-10
1. Can we claim to have fellowship with God, yet live like we don’t and not be a liar?
2. Is it possible to know Christ and not be excited about it?
3. When John wrote this letter, he was an old man. At least 70 years had passed and Christians were beginning to become complacent about their faith. Why do you think that John’s concern for the state of those somber Christians caused him to write a letter?

After the third question, break up into groups of three and ask:

4. For those of us who believe in Christ and were once excited about our relationship with Him, have any of us become bored with our relationship with Jesus Christ?
5. Has this boredom caused you to stop sharing your faith?
6. How can we keep our faith from becoming stagnant and stale?
7. How important is it to have other Christians around us to encourage us in our relationship with Christ?

After this question, take the time to pray in your group of three for anyone who has lost their excitement over their relationship with Christ. Ask Jesus to bring freshness to his or her faith.

Get back together in a large group for Worship.

Worship
Have the person leading worship sing a song of adoration for our Savior. After singing, pray for each other to have a fresh love for Christ that will cause you to be excited about your relationship with Christ and make you look forward to bragging about your Savior to other.

Witness
Before you share the idea for witnessing this week, share this story from Carl G. Conner:

A few winters ago, heavy snows hit North Carolina. Following a wet, six-inch snowfall, it was interesting to see the effect along interstate 40.

Next to the highway stood several large groves of tall, young, pine trees. The branches were bowed down with the heavy snow—so low that branches from one tree were often leaning against the trunk of branches of another.

Where trees stood alone, however, the effect of the heavy snow was different. The branches had become heavier, but without other trees to lean against, the branches snapped. They lay on the ground, dark and alone in the cold snow.

When the storms of life hit, we need to be standing close to other Christians. The closer we stand, the more we will be able to hold up.”


Next Saturday night plan to go and see “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” with the group. Each person needs to invite and bring a friend and pay for that person’s ticket along with your own.

Cell Group Ministries

I am using this blog space to share the great ministry experiences that I and others have been involved in with Cell Group Ministries.

Let me start by stating some of the major lessons:

1. Not everyone is able to be in such a relational, community-based movement.
2. God is in it and that is affirmed by some of the negative and constant criticism.
3. Cell Ministries requires a Vision from leadership to be shared with those who are able to share that vision with the leaders of a given ministry.
4. You can't jump into Cell Ministries; it is a development, not an instant ministry.
5. It is not a replacement for programs; it is, in fact, a holistic ministry that requires the dedication, gifts, and personal involvement of every member of a cell.
6. The leader is merely a facilitator, not a director.
7. The 2 MAJOR GOALS of cell group mistries are 1) Develop Leaders 2) Multiply Groups. (DO NOT CREATE CLIQUES, BE PREPARED TO MULTIPLY AND SEPARATE WITHIN 1 or 2 years. {BUY THE BOOK!)
8. Cell Group Meetings are broken into four parts, not always done in the same order:

1. Welcome 2. Worship 3. Word 4. Witness
I could list others, but I won't for now.

I passionately believe in the perfection and Authentic Christian Community of this ministry. If you are interested, you can begin by looking at www.touchusa.org and purchase the book "Making Cell Groups Work." READ THE BOOK and use its advice and wisdom. There are over 30 years of experience from Ralph Neighbour Jr. on the subject of cell ministries and you will greatly benefit from his team and their written wisdom.

For now, I have decided to share our weekly Cell Group Agendas. You are welcome to print them and use them in your own groups.

Two Important Tips:

1. It is crucial that your church pastor, leader, minister, Corps Officer (whatever you call him, her or both) have a vision for this ministry. Without that support, you will be spinning wheels.

2. It is also crucial that you are involved in a weekly congregational celebration of worship. Cell groups that have left this very important part of sharing their praise and worship in honor of God, with a congregational body of believers have met the fate of cell group death. Congregational worship shows your cell group that God is bigger than your group.

Here is the Cell Agenda for January 1, 2006: Again, don’t just start a cell group. Purchase “Making Cell Groups Work,” do research on other cell model ministries, but don’t try to copy them, visit other cell churches and get the experience with a vision team.

If you have any questions, write me at captain_gainey@yahoo.com

Grace and peace,
Johnny

Cell Agenda for week of January 1, 2006 by Captain Jonathan Gainey, The Salvation Army, Charlotte, NC

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Theme: Giving is not a gift.

WELCOME

Is there anyone here who gives to people because you love to help people in need? How do you feel when you give to someone who truly needs what you have given him or her?


WITNESS
Have someone read Matthew 6:2-4.
After the Scripture reading say to your group: Remembering that giving without expecting recognition is a godly way of giving. (Paraphrase to sound as natural as possible.

This Sunday is the start of a brand new year. For those of you, who have never been able to share your monetary treasures with the Church for the ministry of God to be done, then make this a resolution to begin trusting God with a percentage of what He gives you. Through giving to the ministry of your Savior through your church you will begin to experience the obedience of sharing God’s wealth with the world, as well as receiving the added blessing of showing immeasurable gratitude to God for His gifts to you.

WORSHIP
To begin worship, place a pillow on the floor in a room large enough to have everyone sit in a semi-circle with the pillow as if the pillow were part of the circle, not in the middle of the circle. This pillow represents the place where Christ is sitting with you and listening to you as you pray.

Sing a song of Thanksgiving and then pray for Christ to make each of you people who give gladly. Also pray and thank God for His wisdom and our privilege of supplying the needs of the world through His church.

WORD
It would probably surprise you to know that there is no word in Hebrew for charity. The Hebrew word tzedakah, often used in connection with charitable giving, only means justice and righteousness. It is not a gift that you give to the poor, but rather the fulfillment of an obligation.
God gives to you and you must give to others. You are the medium for the proper management of God’s wealth here on Earth. And if you won’t do it right, the rabbis teach, God will find another “messenger” to help him distribute his funds to the needy. That’s why it has been said that beggars don’t take; they demand alms as if they were collecting a debt.
There is a Jewish story that says when the pauper came to the rich man and was told by the rich man that he would receive nothing because the rich man had a bad year, the pauper’s response was, “I don’t understand—why does your bad year mean I should suffer?”
The poor are always to be taken care of, according to the Will, Word, and Laws of God.

Someone Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

1. Does God give to those of us who have so that we can be generous?
2. Does our giving supply the needs of God’s people and offer as an expression of gratitude to God?
3. Why do you think Paul needed to remind the people of Corinth to be gracious givers who share their wealth with the poor?
4. Do you know Christians who have a difficult time realizing that they are earning money for more than just their own families?
5. What are some good ways to create a habit of sharing our wages with the poor, which will include being held accountable to give without reluctance?
6. Is there anyone here who needs to begin sharing his or her monetary treasures in this New Year so that God’s resources can be used to help more people who are in need?

After this question, have people break into groups of two (three if there is one person left without another to create a couple) and pray for each other to begin giving, so that God’s work can be done through His church.

LEADER’S MINUTE:
This is a time for the leader to remind everyone of any upcoming events or ministries.
Remember: it is important to share in life outside of the cell group meeting. You may want to plan a movie night, go out to dinner or something during the week.

Tip: Do not allow your meeting to go longer than an hour and a half. This will create the feeling that people are leaving before they're ready to leave, which will make them look forward to coming back next week. (Advice from Dr. Kennon Callahan)

NOTE: Cell Groups are not readily accepted by highly traditional Christians; some may try to turn it into a program instead of a holistic community of ministering ministers.

Write me at captain_gainey@yahoo.com. I will respond quickly to any questions. Respectfully written criticisms will be respectfully read and appreciated. Thank you and God bless your ministry.

A Face in the Toilet

When I had the flu a few months ago and found myself with my head in the toilet, no one would have blamed me. Vomiting is pure misery and putting my face in the toilet is considered normal in our culture.

Now that I’ve experienced putting my face in a toilet, I actually look forward to getting the flu and I do nothing to prevent it. I don’t avoid people who have the flu. I don’t wash my hands when I leave a doctor’s office or hospital. I don’t eat well or dress warm in the winter. I have even considered ordering some influenza just for those boring days when there’s nothing better to do than stick my face in the toilet.

You probably think I’m kidding and you’re right. No one looks forward to sticking his or her face in the “underwater waste basket.” And anyone who does needs some serious therapy.

Shouldn’t we hold people accountable for recognizing the difference between needs and dependence? There are so many people who appear to love being sick. They don’t plan their lives; they don’t budget their money; they don’t invest in personal education. In short, they don’t make life happen; they accept whatever it gives.

It makes a lot more sense for us to teach people how to prevent the flu, than to show them where all the toilets of life can be found.

My name is Johnny and I am your friend.